Review: Love, Chloe

Love, Chloe by Alessandra Torre
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Chloe was your original entitled Manhattan princess, right up until the FBI broke down her apartment door and repossessed her apartment. Overnight she goes from a life of wealth and hedonism to poverty and sleeping on her friend's couch. Her only lifeline is an introduction to the heiress to a Condom fortune who needs a personal assistant.

Thus begins Chloe's new life, one of pandering to a spoilt dog, running errands and being shouted out by her bitchy boss. Supported by her two BFFs (strong on supportive talk but less helpful when it comes to useful birthday presents) she needs to remain strong when faced with the temptation of her filthy rich, cheating ex boyfriend Vic, especially when he showers her with ridiculously expensive gifts.

Will being poor teach Chloe the error of her ways?

To me this was a rinse-and-repeat YA romance, reminiscent of that tacky (ie unmissable) TV series Gossip Girl. Every sexual encounter seems to be described in exactly the same way, although the location and the position change there is a strange familiarity about the cataloguing of what happens to the underwear so that it just feels like the same sex scene over and over again.

It's not enough that Chloe is swanning around Manhattan, she also gets brought onto the set of a movie that her boss is filming, making friends with the crew and the leading man.

The novel is interspersed with social media posts, texts etc which reinforce the Gossip Girl vibe, the plot also feels a bit derivative - although I can't quite recall the story it reminds me of.

Overall, I'm too old for this, I didn't find Chloe a sympathetic character and all the supporting characters were one-dimensional.

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Review: The Aussie Next Door

The Aussie Next Door by Stefanie London
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF at 42%.

Angie Donovan left a life of unwanted notoriety in the US for a life of anonymity in small town Australia, but then she finds out she has to leave Australia unless she can fall in love and marry within a few short months.

Angie's next door neighbour is hunky cartoonist Jace. Unbeknownst to Angie, Jace has high functioning autism which means he struggles to understand other people's feelings or how to act in certain situations. He likes that Angie doesn't know about his autism, that she treats him like a regular guy. He likes Angie and wants her to stay but it takes him months to decide on a new brand of trainers, a decision like marriage would take him years.

Angie decides she will do everything she can to find someone, with the aim of falling in love and getting married before she gets deported.

The blurb for this read made me think it would be romantic comedy: a large interfering family; a series of dates; unruly dogs; and Jace sabotaging Angie's dates. To a certain extent I did get this but it all seemed pretty muted, nearly half way into the book and Angie has only been on one date. I also struggled with Jace's portrayal which made him seem a bit simple. There have been some great books released in the last few years which portray autism with empathy - in contrast this felt like Jace was a 16 year old child rather than a man.

Overall, I found the pace too slow, the characters overly sweet and the plot wasn't developing fast enough and I gave up.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Cowboy to the Rescue

Cowboy to the Rescue by A.J. Pine
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ivy owns a dress shop in the small town of Meadow Valley. On her opening day her mini fridge sets off a small fire and introduces her to the new fire lieutenant Carter Bowen. Although there is an instant attraction Ivy has lost her firefighter brother to a fire and has vowed never to get involved with a firefighter.

Carter is only on probation, he is determined to make this new chance work, a huge change from his former life in Houston and his family business. He shouldn't allow the prickly owner of the dress shop to distract him from his goals. Carter isn't just a firefighter, he's also a cowboy, running a dude ranch with some friends in his spare time.

This suffers from the curse of the novella, not enough time for more than a single plotline, and as a consequence it felt overly simplistic with no character development. Having said that, it was enjoyable and introduced us to Meadow Valley and some intriguing characters. I guess brothers Wyatt and Shane will be getting their own books soon.

I received a free copy of this novella from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Shadow of Doubt

Shadow of Doubt by Hailey Edwards
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

So this is the start of a spinoff from The Beginners Guide to Necromancy series by the same author which I have to confess I haven't read. Nevertheless, I found this an easy series to come into and I really enjoyed this book.

As was probably explained in the previous series, Hadley is a Necromancer (although she doesn't use what I would consider to be necromancer skills in the book), she is in line to be appointed Potentate of Atlanta and has fabricated a background to hide her real identity.

Her first case involves the grisly murder of a member of the Atlanta gwyllgi pack, the pack Beta, Midas Kinase appoints a deputy to work with (read spy on) Hadley as she investigates what turns out to be a serial killer/mass murderer of shifters whilst dealing with her attraction to Midas, her equally appealing deputy Ford and a submissive gwyllgi called Bonnie who shifts into a Corgi.

I've never heard of gwyllgi, but apparently they are a mythical Welsh dog similar to a Dire Wolf. I'm a sucker for urban fantasy detectives with a smidgen of romance and this was right up my alley. Can't wait for the second book.

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Review: Sapphire Flames

Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Warning! Review lacks objectivity. Four and a half stars.

Loved it, loved it, loved it.

Catalina is now head of House Baylor, she gets brought in to bring a suicidal Prime down using her siren powers and gets drawn into investigating the death of his mother and sister. From the get go things don't seem to be on the up-and-up, then Catalina's teen crush Alessandro Sagredo turns up being less Eurotrash billionaire heartthrob and more deadly assassin (albeit a very sexy Italian one).

Soon House Baylor is embroiled in yet another mystery, all of our favourite family members have a part to play but the star of the show is Alessandro, I just love the way he keeps appearing on Catalina's bed, lolling like one of Shelly Laurenston's vain lion shifters, especially when he finds the heart-shaped glitter picture frame that Catalina's sisters filled with a picture of him from his instagram feed LOL.

I know I'm biased because I think I've read everything Ilona Andrews has published but I thought this was just great, I loved the plot and the romance and the mystery and I can't wait to see where the series goes next. (view spoiler)[And what about Catalina's mother and Heart? And did we think there was something between Runa and Bern? (hide spoiler)]

Overall, it was worth the wait, I read it in less than a day and I love Ilona Andrews just as much as ever.

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Review: New Beginnings at The Birdie and Bramble: The brand new laugh-out-loud series to fall in love with this year

New Beginnings at The Birdie and Bramble: The brand new laugh-out-loud series to fall in love with this year by Alison Craig
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When her beloved father dies suddenly Maddie Campbell returns to St Andrews in Scotland and the family restaurant The Birdie and Bramble. The restaurant may have seen better days, the decor is certainly dated, but it is much beloved. When her landlord gives her 28 days notice to quit the flat above the restaurant, at her father's wake Maddy also discovers that he owns the restaurant and is doing everything in his power to get her to sell the leasehold back to him, without a thriving restaurant the leasehold is worth almost nothing and Maddie's father's legacy will disappear.

An imminent wedding booking that can't be cancelled gets Maddy and the staff to pull together to create a wonderful day and leads to a plan to revive the restaurant's fortunes, especially since the British Open is due to be held at St Andrews in a few months bringing a huge influx of tourists to the area.

This is very similar to a Katie Fforde novel. I loved the glorious food descriptions (not to be read if you are on a diet), the cosy small town feel, the morning walks on the beach, the romantic tension between Maddie's boyfriend in London and her new venison supplier for the restaurant. There's a suitably evil Laird, secret identities and nefarious plots to reveal all while serving sumptuous Scottish fare.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: A Summer at Sea

A Summer at Sea by Katie Fforde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After a rip-roaring row with a GP Emily decides to take a sabbatical from her job as a midwife in the Cotswolds and, fortuitously, her BFF Rebecca needs a cook for her 'puffer boat which takes small groups of tourists on week-long tours of the Scottish coastline.

Emily soon makes friends with the customers, especially an elderly lady called Maisie, and with Rebecca's niece Kate and her father Alasdair, who just happens to be a local GP. So much so that she doesn't really want to return to the Cotswolds, until she is offered a dream job and the full support of the local GPs.

For some reason I had seen this book on offer several times and the idea of it being set on a boat was vaguely off-putting. I needn't have hesitate, not only is it not all set on board the puffer, but it is also charming, lots of glorious Scottish scenery, cute moppets, knitting and the trademark Katie Fforde romance.

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Review: Her Cowboy Boss

Her Cowboy Boss by Jeannie Watt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

hree and a half stars.

McKenna Benjamin and her two year old son live on a small farm which was recently devastated by the fire which swept through their small Montana town. Her inheritance from her grandmother was enough for a frugal existence but won't cover the cost of rebuilding so McKenna needs a job, preferably something local. After divorcing her cheating husband McKenna's wealthy family were less than impressed and have cut her off without a dime.

She applies to work on the Marvell Ranch but is informed by the town gossip that the ranch manager Brodie Collins doesn't want her around. Brodie and McKenna went to school together, he was the class geek whereas she was school royalty. Brodie doesn't know why she's looking for work but the spoilt entitled princess her remembers isn't welcome.

Brodie isn't your typical cowboy, he still draws as much as ever and is studying photography. Although initially resistant to McKenna he soon realises she has changed and he comes to admire her work ethic, but can romance blossom when they work together?

I enjoyed this romance very much but felt it ended rather abruptly, the story had been quite slow moving and building up to a big confrontation which just seemed to be over before it had begun and we were straight into the epilogue. I wanted the ending to be drawn out a bit more.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Soldier of Fortune: A Gideon Quinn Adventure

Soldier of Fortune: A Gideon Quinn Adventure by Kathleen McClure
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Gideon Quinn was sent to the crystal planets for a crime he didn't commit ...

Imagine a universe in which Earth is dying and sent out ships into the universe to find new planets, one such planet has been settled and the areas are named after Earth companies such as Fuji and Nike. Gideon Quinn was tried and convicted of treason and attempted murder. After spending six years on a prison planet he is released under mysterious circumstances and sent to Nike.

This reminds me very much of Lindsay Buroker, the good guy is charming and self-deprecating and anti-establishment and clever.

I chose this book based on the blurb and I loved it, Gideon is kind and honourable and funny. he wants to hunt down the man who framed him for murder but gets embroiled in all sorts of sub-plots. It's sweet and funny and I can't wait to read the next one.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Battle Scars

Battle Scars by Cara Carnes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jesse and Ellie.

This series just gets grittier. Jesse Mason was Delta Force. Captured by insurgents he was tortured for six months before being rescued, alive but maimed and psychologically damaged. Ellie was his childhood sweetheart, his first, his last, his everything until she refused to come with him overseas and married another man.

Since he returned to The Arsenal Jesse has given Ellie the cold shoulder, and so have the rest of the Mason brothers but he soon comes to realise that Ellie is selflessly working to support The Arsenal and the Mason family. Slowly, especially after the car crash at the end of the previous book, Jesse starts to forgive Ellie. But with the trauma of his incarceration and torture affecting him physically and mentally can he ever be a husband to the woman he never stopped loving?

Earlier today I was reviewing book blurbs and rolling my eyes at the formulaic angst-angst-angst man with trauma yadda-yadda plots. Whilst Cara Carnes might do high intensity angst she does it with panache. Gritty and real, yet with real heart, high intensity drama, family tensions, lots of cookies, cartels, PTSD and a tight-knit community.

I just love this series, its high-octane romantic drama and I just can't wait for the next one.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley n return for an honest review.

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Review: Zero Trace

Zero Trace by Cara Carnes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Zoey the ex-CIA computer geek and Gage the super-ninja commando.

I've got to say I really think this series has hit its stride. The issues are gritty - this book focuses on Zoey's secret underground network which rescues women and children from abusive situations and gives them new identities. She has rescued the daughter of a senator who was being abused and now the senator is making threats.

The sex is smoking hot, the men are ripped and the women are so clever they make my brain hurt.

Loved it.



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Review: The Blacksmith Queen

The Blacksmith Queen by G.A. Aiken
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Think Stardust (old King dies and his sons fight each other to secure the throne) meets LoTR (elves and dwarves and a quest) with G.A. Aiken customary bawdy humour and you've got yourself another winner!

Keeley Smythe comes from a long line of Blacksmith women, one of numerous children she runs the smithy like clockwork and looks after her siblings. She may have the strength of a man twice her size but she is kind and gentle with children and animals, no matter if the wolves she befriends have fire burning in their eyes and are most likely demonspawn. When witches prophesise that her younger sister will be Queen Keeley has her doubts but immediately offers to escort her to the witches to get the prophecy confirmed. Joined by her crazy family and a group of battle centaurs she will need all her powers of persuasion to forge alliances and keep her family safe.

When I first started reading this I couldn't get into the book, maybe because I found Keeley too similar to Annwyl at first - incredibly strong fearless woman able to defeat impossible odds etc. I put it aside and started reading it again on an international flight and just ripped through it. Loved everything about it. Loved Keeley, loved her sisters, loved her cousin, loved the centaurs, loved the deliciously evil princes.

Only downside, I'd just really got into the book when it ended. In fact I kept pressing the next page button on my Kindle fruitlessly several times before I realised that was the end of the book (see international flight above). So this is very much "to be continued …"

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review.

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Review: So Steady: Silver Daughters Ink, Book Two

So Steady: Silver Daughters Ink, Book Two by Eve Dangerfield
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Argh, lack of sleep and my carefully thought out review disappears in a click of a button - grrrr.

So what do you need to know? Sensible, staid, dare we say boring?, sister Nicole comes back to help save the damily tattoo parlour. Her wild, tattooed crazy sisters mock her for being an accountant and loving to clean and being a type-A personality, not knowing the underlying cause.

However, there is one fly in the ointment. Bad boy, menacing, heavily tattooed employee Noah presses all of Nicole's buttons and is the polar opposite of her fiance. When her fiance gives her an ultimatum, him or her sisters, she chooses family and suddenly things heat up with Noah, but can this opposites attract romance go the distance?

Phewy this was steamy and not just because I was reading this in Atlanta in 97 degree heat. Noah's method of getting Nicole to relax and stop stressing may not be orthodox but it certainly hits the spot (phnar, phnar) and gave me one or two hot flushes.Be ready for liberal use of the f-bomb and some mild BDSM, some big secrets and discover Noah's gentler side.

This was a new author to me, I'm always a little wary when approached to review a book but I have to say I really enjoyed this book, devoured it in fact and look forward to reading more books in the series.

I received a free copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review.

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Review: The Right Swipe

The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rhiannon Hunter developed a dating app called Crush after she was forced to leave her old employer Swype. Now her app is one of the most successful on the market and she wants to cement her position by buying a more traditional online dating business called Matchmaker. Unfortunately the owner is being elusive so Rhi gate-crashes a tech conference party just to meet her rival, instead she comes face-to-face with the new spokesperson of Matchmaker who just happens to be the super-hot guy that she hooked up with one night several months ago, who made plans for a repeat performance and then ghosted her. Even more galling, on her app he had indicated that he was only interested in a hook-up whereas he is now claiming to be looking to settle down.

Samson Lima, former NFL linebacker, has agreed to assist his quasi-aunt Annabelle by being the spokesperson for Matchmaker, after all its what brought his parents together. The marketing campaign is that Samson will date a series of girls on camera and hopefully find true love. When he sees the gorgeous woman he hooked up with across the room he can't wait to catch up with her again.

Samson's first date is an unmitigated disaster, he says the wrong things and ends up throwing a glass of red wine over his date's white dress. But he has a cunning plan, why not link up with Rhi and get her to give him dating tips, on camera, a kind of old meets new marketing strategy between Crush and Matchmaker. It's a great idea and really popular but Samson is falling for Rhi in a big way.

Loved this book: loved Samson who was kind and funny and considerate; loved Rhi who was driven and brilliant and vulnerable; loved the cast of memorable friends and family. A new author for me but one I will look out for.

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Review: The Best Thing

The Best Thing by Mariana Zapata
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars (extra half star for Jonah).

Lenny and Jonah had a short but sweet romance in Paris, then he just ghosted her one day - that was 17 months ago. Now he's in Houston at Lenny's MMA studio and he wants to talk ...

I can't really review this book without spoilers so I will just tell you how it made me feel.

Lenny DeMaio is a typical Mariana Zapata heroine, too much so - I couldn't really distinguish her from several of her other heroines, mouthy, dropping f-bombs everywhere, former athlete.

Also there are three 'secrets' to be revealed by the novel. One of them was blindingly obvious right from the start and frankly I just found it annoying that Mariana Zapata drew out the reveal for so long. We guessed it, move on. The second secret, I also guessed but I thought the reveal came too late for it to mean anything. The third secret, why Jonah ghosted Lenny, I don't think I ever really understood.

Overall, my feeling is that I have fallen out of love with Mariana Zapata, she has taken slow burn and transformed it into unnecessarily long and drawn out, her heroines are a bit same-same (although Jonah was an absolute treat and deserves an extra half star all by himself).

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Review: Digging In

Digging In by Loretta Nyhan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Paige Moresco has been living a half life since the unexpected death of her husband and childhood sweetheart. Now she moves robotically from home to work not participating in anything until her new boss decides to shake up the advertising agency where she has worked her whole life and follow the teachings of Petra Polly and her unusual views on creative office environments. Forced to develop a marketing strategy for a vegan cake from the local farmer's market that looks like a cow pat feels like a new low but from humble beginnings Paige discovers new friends, a new interest and romance.

At turns I wanted to shake Paige and hug her, she and her husband had developed rules for their lives together and she couldn't live them without him but couldn't create her own. Her son is deeply traumatised by his father's death and doesn't want Paige to change.

An interesting and unusual novel about struggling to start life anew after tragedy.

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Review: Screwed

Screwed by Kelly Jamieson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cash has been in love with his best friend, and business partner Beau's, now ex-wife Cassie since he first met her. Over the years they have become friends but now she's divorced the sparks are most definitely there. But there's the bro-code, plus Beau and Cash's business is tendering for a major project for Cassie's family, and of course there's Beau and Cash's partnership on the line.

Cassie has done everything she could to please her wealthy, opinionated, cold parents, including marrying the boy she had dated since high school because they approved of him. Now she has disappointed them again and she has decided to try to please herself, including opening her own cake shop instead of having a job of which her parents approve. Beau might want her back but she could never trust a cheater, especially since he doesn't understand why she is so upset.

Cassie and Cash are keeping their romance on the down-low but neither of them have told each other how they really feel, is this love or is it just scratching an itch?

Loved this, loved the steamy romance, loved the angst, loved the cakes and loved Cash.

Got this as an Amazon 99p deal.

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Review: Wylde Fire

Wylde Fire by Sarah Robinson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sam Wylde has a fledgling Whiskey business with his cousin Noah and their friend Caleb. The launch party is thrown into jeopardy when Noah breaks off his relationship with the event planner, which leads to her backing out of their event and taking all of her suppliers with her to another event on the same day. Driving to the Town Hall to get some permits for the business he runs into Holly, who turns out to be an events planner.

On top of this Sam is sick of his friends, his family and their acquaintances all treating him with pity after his brother and his fiance cheated on him, even worse they are now getting married and his upper class Tennessee family expect him to be part of the wedding.

Holly and her family were in a terrible car accident and her sister is in a coma, requiring expensive medical treatment which Holly is subsidising from her income, but she is falling behind on the payments. Initially Sam asks Holly to plan their launch party but soon he offers something different - a marriage of convenience. Sam will avoid all the awkwardness of attending his brother's wedding solo, and the pitying looks from his community and Holly will gain access to an excellent medical insurance policy.

But soon the marriage of convenience turns romantic - but can Sam get over his trust issues?

I enjoyed this romance very much, the idea that the proposed marriage of convenience turns real before they even get married and that it was always intended to be a real marriage in any event was an unusual twist on the genre. My only criticism would be that it ended a little too abruptly, there was a lot of build up and then the drama petered out almost immediately, it was good that the angst wasn't drawn out unnecessarily but this was a little too far the other way.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Let It Snow

Let It Snow by Sue Moorcroft
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A cosy Christmas romance that isn't …

Lily Cortez and her sister haven't had the most conventional of childhoods having two mums, nut she is shocked to discover that her father wasn't an anonymous donor or even a one-night stand as she had always believed but a man that her biological mother had an affair with. Trying to connect with her siblings she moves to Middledip where her half-brother Harrison Tubb (Tubb the pub) owns the village pub. Working part-time at the pub while starting her own fledgling career designing exhibition stands she enjoys village life and getting to know her brother, even if she hasn't plucked up the courage to let Tubb know their connection.

When Tubb has a heart attack he hires a temporary landlord, Isaac to run the pub while he recuperates with his brother Garrison in Switzerland, coincidentally Garrison works for a Swiss company which sells British foodstuffs and his company has invited Lily to design an exhibition stand for their products at some Christmas Fairs in Switzerland, Lily has managed to persuade them that having the local village signing group singing Christmas songs will add an authentic British air to the stand and is busy making travel plans for the group to drive to Switzerland.

This has got everything you would expect from a Sue Moorcroft Christmas novel: carols, turkey, snowballs, romance, dogs, a village pub, tinsel and a bit of angst to leaven the sweetness. I thoroughly enjoyed the Middletones trip to Switzerland, the drama of village life and the burgeoning romance between Isaac and Lily.

Recommended for fans of charming Christmas novels set in small English villages, road trips and Dalmatian dogs.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Take It Off the Menu

Take It Off the Menu by Christina Hovland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Glorious romantic comedy.

When your fiancé dumps you two days before the wedding, keeps the house, the honeymoon, his job in your family business and apparently your parents too, what's a girl to do? Well a blow-out girl's weekend in Vegas sounds like the answer!

Eli has been looking after his little sisters most of his life, when his sister's BFF Marlee's wedding gets cancelled (a wedding he was supposed to be catering BTW) he is there for Marlee as always, but when the girls decide to go to Vegas he knows this has trouble written all over it so he agrees to come along.

Long and short of it, Marlee and Eli decide to pretend to get married (it was a dare) but are too drunk to remember to sign fake names, then the judge refuses to grant them an annulment. Marlee's parents want her and her ex to get back together and are worried that Eli is a gold-digger so they cut off her credit cards and offer her an allowance if she'll move back home with them- like a teenager instead of a 30 year old woman! So Marlee does what any self-respecting woman would do, she calls the person she knows will have her back, her soon-to-be-ex husband.

I enjoyed the first book in this series but I thought that maybe it was trying a tad too hard to be madcap with the crazy Russian grandma, this time the crazy Russian is still around but the humour feels more natural, less forced.

I loved Eli and Marlee's romance, it was cute and sweet and steamy and adorable.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: The Marked Prince

The Marked Prince by M.A. Grant
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

High Prince Slaine of the Unseelie Court appears to have defected to the Summer (Seelie) Court and become betrothed to Princess Aoife. In reality he has been put under a Thrall and his face has been given to an imposter, unable to tell the truth. He spends his days being tortured and ridiculed by Aoife as a political prisoner, his identity hidden by a gold mask and the name Duine.

Sebastian has hidden his real identity for many years, half-Seelie, half-Unseelie and son of King Oberon's beloved sister, he hasn't been in the Seelie Court for years, not even after his mother's death. But when bringing Slaine back is the only thing that is likely to prevent war between the two courts he is the obvious choice.

Sebastian is shocked at the lack of glamour in the Sidhe when he returns to the Summer Court, his cousin Aoife is advocating war and gathering supporters, King Oberon appears afraid of Aoife and the nobles seem indifferent to the suffering of the ordinary fae. When he sees Aoife torturing an Unseelie prisoner he requests him as a manservant.

Despite not wanting to be designated a prince of the Seelie court Seb cannot ignore the suffering of the fae and with Duine's help he starts to muster support for peace and a more equitable sharing of the Sidhe's glamour. But he has made a dangerous enemy in Aoife and there are forces at work that neither of them understand that threaten the very existence of both courts.

This is a deep contrast to the first book which I likened to Harry Potter with the fae. This is set entirely within the Seelie and Unseelie courts. Despite the abrupt change of focus I enjoyed this book, once I realised that it was not about the couple from the first book, but Prince Roark's older brother (poor memory for names). These novels are not for the faint hearted, the fae can be frighteningly imaginative with their tortures but the writing was engaging and Seb and Slaine/Duine are a charming couple as the prince turned servant teaches the new prince how to win over the nobility.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire?: A fairytale(ish) romantic comedy

Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire?: A fairytale(ish) romantic comedy by Sophie Ranald
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Stella meets Julian falling off a lion in Trafalgar Square, six months later after a long-distance romance Stella moves from Scotland to London and Julian moves from Canada to London to live together. But all too soon cracks appear in Stella and Julian's romance, he's always working, she can't find a job, he treats her like his maid, she's morphed into a 1950s housewife.

Julian's best friend is Will. Will is a fellow nerd but used his nerd-powers to found a social media app called Shutterly (think Instagram) and is now seriously wealthy. Of course with great wealth and success comes a series of stuck-up, gold-digging girlfriends more interested in Will's money and being seen in all the right places than in Will himself.

Stella persuades Will to join a dating app pretending to be a run-of-the-mill teacher rather than a tech-millionaire but as they collaborate over his dating profile and gossip about his dates are Stella and Will better suited than Stella and Julian?

I enjoyed this comic romance, however I found Stella to be a bit of a doormat. She seems to buy all the food and do all the housework while Julian swans around doing whatever he feels like. She also becomes myopic as she believes anything that Julian says even if she knows better. I guess this is a classic case of the way that men can manipulate women into feeling in the wrong, even when they are right.

But anyway, free to borrow on Amazon Prime.

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